Lopez briefing host communities on closure

Environment Secretary
Gina Lopez is now briefing communities affected by the mining audit about the
potential effects of her closure and suspension orders, basically preparing
them for the transition that could take place once her orders are implemented.

The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said in a statement on Friday that it
has embarked on a comprehensive consultation and engagement with communities
affected by the mining audit recently conducted by the agency.

In a special order,
DENR Secretary Gina Lopez authorized the conduct of simultaneous community
consultation and engagement in the provinces of Dinagat Islands, Surigao del
Norte, and Surigao del Sur.

The consultation was
first held in the Caraga region, where majority of mining operations ordered
closed by the DENR are located.

Lopez said the exercise
was meant to assist the communities and households affected by the mining
audit, “particularly ensuring that they will be able to transition well from
being mining workers or mining communities to an empowered social entrepreneur
or a vibrant community enterprise, impelled by the principles of ecosystems
integrity and social justice.”

Lopez tasked Forest
Management Bureau (FMB) Director Ricardo Calderon to head the DENR team that
will conduct the consultation. Calderon will be assisted by DENR Caraga acting
regional director Charlie Fabre and Director Nonito Tamayo.

Other members of the
consultation team are personnel from the DENR central office, FMB, DENR-Caraga,
and consultants.

The team will be
supervised by DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Philip Camara and
Assistant Secretary for Field Operations-Mindanao Marcial Amaro Jr.

The output of the
community consultation and engagement will be presented during the plenary
session with Cabinet officials and representatives of affected communities on
February 25 to 26 in Butuan City.

DOE to relax policy on
750-kw threshold for

The Department of
Energy (DOE) is set to issue revised rules that will relax terms and conditions
on the switching of customers to retail competition and open access (RCOA) for
those in the 750-kilowatt (kwt) threshold.

Energy Secretary
Alfonso G. Cusi said they will likely come up with the new DOE Circular prior
to the targeted timeline for the lowered 750kw threshold by June.

“While we are doing
voluntary for 1.0-megawatt, I am preparing for June,” he said, further noting
that by then, there will be new set of policy that will be guiding the industry
to the competitive retail regime of the sector.

The energy chief explained
that they are thinking along the lines of making the ‘power of choice’ for
consumers voluntarily – meaning, they may opt to go with retail electricity
suppliers (RES) or may still stay as captive customers with franchised
distribution utilities.

The energy department
is also seriously weighing the parameters on the proposed disbandment of the
local RES (L-RES) for distribution utilities (DUs) as this has been among the
“rules restraints” questioned in the High Court.

He said they will have
to look at the extent of cross-subsidization that is being thrown against the
DUs engaged both in serving captive customers and running their respective
local RES entities.

Cusi said their unified
statement as to the way forward following the Supreme Court temporary
restraining order (TRO) is to let the signed contracts – both in the 1.0MW and
750kW thresholds be processed already – with the mutual consent of parties in
the supply deals.

He qualified that such
shift to the RCOA phase of the industry may still be done on ‘voluntary basis’,
so as not to violate the ultimate court’s restraining order.

As of this writing,
there are 50 contestable customers in the 750kW threshold that already
exercised option on their supply contracting with their preferred RES entities
– nevertheless, some of them also batted for deferment of their switching registration.

In a press statement,
the energy department emphasized that “those who have already executed retail
supply contracts (RSCs) and were already registered and switched shall continue
to honor their respective RSCs.”

It reiterated that
“ongoing applications for registrations filed before the Central Registration
Body (CRB) may proceed voluntarily.”

And for applicants who
wish to withdraw or defer their respective registrations, they may do so
“consistent with the retail market rules provided that the CRB shall not be
liable for any legal repercussions that may arise out of the contestable
customers’ contractual obligations.”